Investment Fund to Finance Polish Fish Processor Acquisitions

POLAND - Polish fish processor Graal S.A. has secured Greenwich Investments, a subsidiary of Polish investment fund Abris Capital, as its strategic investor to finance further expanding its fish processing capacity, raising its export sales, as well as enabling potential acquisitions of European aquaculture players.

Graal is reportedly planning to take over Western European salmon aquaculture facilities to safeguard the supply for the company’s fish processing facilities in Poland, according to the information obtained by local business news site Portalspozywczy.pl. Graal has annual revenues of more than PLN 930 million (€213 million).

“Our company is currently in a state in which, to continue its growth at a dynamic pace, we need to support our activities in several fields. Today, our market strategy conists of expanding abroad. This is the direction in which we want to develop our activities,” said Boguslaw Kowalski, the chief executive and founder of Graal.

Asked about the company’s foreign acquisition plans, Kowalski said that it was the main reason behind Graal’s decision to seek a partnership with a new investor.

“This is why we needed capital. We also need the know-how which is of particular importance regarding our planned foreign acquisitions. We do not have the necessary experience in these kind of transactions,” Kowalski said.

“A fund which, on the one hand, has the necessary capital, and, on the other, the required experience in these key areas is an optimal solution for us.”

Based in Wejherowo, on the Polish Baltic Sea shore, Graal sells its output under the Graal, SuperFish, SuperFish Prestige, Koral, Kuchnia Staropolska (Traditional Polish Cuisine) and Gaster brands, according to data from the fish processor. The company’s portfolio includes a wide range of processed salmon, trout, tuna, herring, sardine and sprat products.